Police seized this .45 caliber Taurus semiautomatic handgun from Maurice Henriques, 49, on the roof of a Brooklyn public housing building. (Credit: NYPD)

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Nary a shot was fired earlier this week when police arrested a man toting a semiautomatic handgun in a Brooklyn public housing development.

The gun fell down the man’s pants and onto the ground as officers struggled to apprehend him.

Around 5:45 p.m. Monday, Sgt. Thomas O’Conner, along with officers Adam Triolo and Christopher Welch, were conducting a vertical patrol of the Cypress Hills Houses public housing building at 1220 Sutter Ave. in Brooklyn, the NYPD said.

They took a seventh-floor elevator to check the rooftop, and when the doors opened, they were confronted by Maurice Henriques, 49, who was holding a fully-loaded .45 caliber Taurus semiautomatic handgun, police said.

Henriques tried to hide the gun in his waistband as he tried to run off, but an officer quickly grabbed him, police said. A struggle ensured, and the gun fell down Henriques’ pants leg and onto the ground, police said.